Our Own Special Kind of Bond
by suchanoldnameandtime
Summary: A collection of Jiraiya and Tsunade short stories and drabbles.
1. We Meet

**Once upon a time when I was first getting into writing fanfiction for Naruto, I wrote a short story that I had hoped to expand. I never got past writing up the first three. However, since I enjoy writing for Jiraiya and Tsunade, I decided to post up the first three and write more like I first planned to. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto. I'd mention what I'd do if I did, but that's just wishful thinking, don't you think?**

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><p>When Jiraiya first meets Tsunade, he is friendly. Cocky, but friendly.<p>

"Nice to meet ya! I'm Jiraiya. Don't worry; you can give me a love letter later."

She stares at him, eyes wide in disbelief. Sure, growing up as Konoha's "princess" had its perks, but no one ever spoke to her that way before… so informally.

She doesn't know what to make of this strange, short boy with spiky white hair. He is very different from the calm and serious Orochimaru. She decides that he annoys her.

"Shut up, toad boy."

When Jiraiya dodges Tsunade's first punch, he is annoyed and upset. But he is still friendly. Frustrated, but friendly.


	2. The Born Loser

Tsunade discovered her love of betting by mistake.

Orochimaru looked across the small stream and snorted.

"Jiraiya can't make it across. Bet you everything in my wallet that he fails, Tsunade."

Tsunade looked into the contents of her own wallet. She turned to Orochimaru and smirked.

"Bet you everything in my wallet he can."

Tsunade turned to glare at her team mate. _Don't lose this for me,_ her look says.

Jiraiya turned to the stream and concentrated his chakra. He steps out onto the water and stays up before falling in.

"You lose."

Tsunade hands her wallet over. Damn Jiraiya.


	3. Last Thoughts

**Dislaimer: I don't own Naruto. I didn't own Naruto in the last chapter either. (Oops!)**

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><p>Looking back over the years, Jiraiya regrets making fun of Tsunade for having been flat chested.<p>

He curses his younger self. Perhaps if he had been nicer, his attempts to seduce her would have succeeded.

He hates that he lost her, and he knows that no matter how many years go by, he still loves her. He loves her now, and he loved her then.

If Jiraiya could teach Naruto just one thing, it'd be not to tease the girl of your dreams.

That's one of many things he thinks about as he sinks deeper into the water and dies.


	4. Tragedy Reveals Differences of Character

**Let's take a break from drabbles and upload a short story.**

**I do love drabbles a lot, but I couldn't put this idea into 100 words, so I turned it into a short story instead.**

**More drabbles and short stories to come, hopefully!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. The end.**

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><p>Tsunade saw the biggest difference in her team mates the day Nawaki died. She knew Orochimaru wasn't the nicest person or the most considerate, but she hadn't realized the exact extent.<p>

She stood in the hallway of the old hospital, shivering with fear that her precious brother might not make it out of surgery. The rain pounded hard against the large glass windows, and Tsunade couldn't help but jump with fear when a large thunderclap sounded and damn near shook the building.

She turned to completely face the window and pressed her hand on the cold glass and watched as the raindrops that hit it slid down the glass. She wasn't looking outside, not really. She couldn't see anything anymore. She stood there silently; zoning out while the storm made its natural progression. She never really liked rain much anyway.

. . .

"_Happy Birthday, Nawaki!" Tsunade told the short boy standing in front of her. "Are you ready for your gift?"_

"_I'm twelve now, Nee-chan," Nawaki told Tsunade. "I'm too old for birthday presents!"_

_Tsunade grinned at her little brother and pulled out the small box from her pocket._

"_Don't say that," she told him. "You're never too old for gifts. Besides, I really think you'll like this one."_

_She walked over and handed the little box over to her brother and watched as he hesitantly pulled the bright red ribbon holding it closed. He removed the top of the box and gasped when he saw what was inside._

"_Nee-chan," he stuttered. "This…"_

_His hand held the string of the necklace up to eye level and he stared at it as if he couldn't believe it was true._

"_This is Grandfather's necklace," he mumbled. "And doesn't it belong to you?"_

"_You're twelve now, and I thought it'd be a good thing for you to have Grandfather's Hokage necklace." Tsunade explained. "It is a symbol of our grandfather's desire to protect the village!"_

_Nawaki smiled and placed the necklace around his neck. _

"_I'll take good care of it, I promise!" he gushed. "I'll protect this village too, because I'm going to Hokage someday just like Grandfather. It's my dream!"_

"_Hey!" Tsunade yelled as her brother turned to run off. "Get back here. Did you think that was all there was to your gift?"_

_Nawaki crinkled his brow in confusion. He walked back to Tsunade._

_His eyes widened in surprise when he felt his older sister's lips touch his forehead. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her middle and hugged her tightly._

"_Thanks, Nee-chan," he said softly. _

_Tsunade turned him loose and watched him run off to go show his friends his new gift. The corners of her mouth turned up into a soft smile. He really was a good kid._

_. . ._

"Shame about how impulsive kids can be," Orochimaru said to break the silence in the hallway. "The day after receiving presents, too."

"Shut the hell up, Orochimaru," Jiraiya snapped. "This isn't funny to joke about."

Tsunade slowly turned around and faced her team mates.

"He was under your care, Orochimaru," she said angrily. "You were his sensei! Why didn't you protect him?"

"It's hard to keep track of three kids during a mission," Orochimaru shrugged. "I was bandaging up one of his team mates when he ran out on his own. It isn't my fault in the slightest."

"It is, and you know it!" she screamed, choking back tears. "You're supposed to keep your students safe, and you failed!"

The last word hung in the air after Tsunade had yelled it, listening to it echo through the hallway of the old hospital. A nurse holding a clipboard walked up to Tsunade slowly, as if frightened.

"I'm sorry," she said as she placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder. "There was too much damage to his system. He didn't make it."

Tsunade's throat closed up, and instead of fighting the tears, she let them fall from her eyes freely. They felt like they were burning her skin as they slid down her face.

"This was on him when he arrived into the ward," the nurse said, holding out the necklace in her outstretched hand. "I thought you might want it back."

Tsunade turned to the large double doors of the ward.

"Can I…"

"Ma'am, I wouldn't recommend going in to see him If I were you," the nurse said. "He ran into an underground explosive. His body is far too mangled. I can't let you see it."

Tsunade sobbed and tried to run towards the door on her own, ignoring the nurse's advice.

"Please!" the nurse begged Tsunade's team mates. "Will one of you restrain her? You can't let her into the ward."

Tsunade's hand grazed the door, but couldn't go in any further. She felt Jiraiya's arms close around her tightly and hold her back from the door.

"Damn it, Jiraiya!" she screamed. She wrenched her arms free from his grip and tried to push him off her. "Let me go! Let me go…please!"

Her struggling was useless, and Jiraiya dragged her back to the end of the hallway.

"Tsunade," he said, embracing her even tighter. "You can't go in. do you want your last memory of him to be seeing his mangled corpse?"

"But-"

"No," he whispered, pressing his face into her hair. "I'm doing this for your own good, because I care about you, alright? You _can't_ go in there."

Tsunade broke down in his grasp and limply leaned against his torso, crying heavily. She would never get to spend any more time with her little brother. She'd never get to watch him grow up, or marry, or become Hokage like he'd always dreamed. It was like a piece of her soul had died with him.

After a while, Tsunade didn't feel like crying anymore. She could hardly feel anything at all. She was numb now, whether she liked it or not.

Tsunade did two things before leaving the hospital that night. She looked Orochimaru straight in the eye, told him he was a bastard, and punched him in the face with as much strength as she could muster. It didn't matter what he said. Nawaki's safety was his responsibility and he failed to protect him. She might have to work with him, but that didn't mean she had to like him. She would never be on friendly terms with him ever again, not if she could help it.

The next thing she did was thank Jiraiya for holding her back. She didn't want to admit it at the time, but he was right. She'd rather remember her brother being lively and rambunctious rather than in whatever unrecognizable state his body was in. She hugged him softly, whispered a quick thanks, then walked away from the hospital and began to go home.

She didn't live too far away, but it felt like the longest trek she'd ever made.


End file.
